Golden Eagle COE Student Wins Coveted Scholar-Athlete Award

Published: Tue Nov 5, 2013

It's not easy being a successful Golden Eagle basketball player and an honors student in Electrical Engineering, but Dennis Ogbe has done just that. Ogbe has been awarded the Ohio Valley Conference's coveted Scholar-Athlete Award for 2013. The award is only granted to six student-athletes from the conference every year.

Ogbe is in his final year as a Golden Eagle, and has led the team with a .613 field goal percentage, at an average of 10.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He led the Golden Eagles with a 40.6 3-point percentage, and averaged 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in conference play.

In the classroom, he has held a 3.90 GPA through the 2012-13 academic year, and has made his way to the Dean's List five times. That distinction has meant a spot on the TTU Athletic Director's Honor Roll for all six of his semesters at Tech, as well as the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll for each of his first three years.

"I feel honored about this selection and I want to express my gratitude to the people of the Athletics Department, my basketball family, and my teachers and fellow students at the College of Engineering," said Ogbe. "Being considered for this award was only possible because of the support of our faculty and the countless hours spent studying and solving problems in the Brown Hall Computer Lab. I'm happy and proud to be a part of this great University and I'm thankful for the opportunity to represent all of TTU and the Golden Eagles in basketball arenas around the country."

Ogbe stays engaged in the Cookeville community, running in the annual Tomahawk Trot event alongside children from Algood Elementary School. His interest in kids has led him to reading to local elementary school children; Ogbe and the men's basketball squad have also volunteered for an afternoon of fun with at-risk children from Mustard Seed Ranch, a Cookeville-based interdenominational Christian ministry.

Ogbe has also served as an advocate for the balance of a healthy, active lifestyle and maintaining a good academic record, bringing his message to area schools.

Ogbe is a member of the electrical engineering honors society, Eta Kappa Nu, as well as Tau Beta Pi, the honors society for all engineering students.

The OVC Faculty Athletics Representatives select the Scholar-Athlete Award recipients from a pool of 22 finalists. Their criteria include an outstanding athletic record, a 3.25 grade point average and a pattern of behavior that brings credit to the student-athlete, the school, the OVC and intercollegiate athletics.

Ogbe is the 12th Golden Eagle to bring home the Scholar-Athlete Award; over the years, 15 Tech women have also received the award from the OVC.

Ogbe is currently applying for graduate programs at various universities around the country.

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